Ast Coilover With Swift Springs Group Buy!

[mpower03]

Originally Posted by BTM

Will they offer the spring discount to include a set of 4200s for a 3.0si instead of 4100s

I believe so yes. It any AST product with swift springs for the z4.

[mpower03]

Originally Posted by ANILE8

I had a look on the AST website, it doesn't seem very well organised or scripted.

Correct me if I am wrong but there doesn't appear to be any of their top model 5000 Series products available for our cars.

http://www.ast-usa.com/index.php

You may have gone to they website that isn't for USA. They are based out of europe. They aren't a company that has a lot of money to spend on marketing gimmicks. They rely on proven products for there reputation, not a cool website or advertisement.

[mpower03]

Originally Posted by JCz04Bimmer

FYI. I went down this path about a year ago and, to be perfectly honest, I was turned off by AST's inability to provide useful and concise information about the kit they claimed was compatible with the Z4M platform. Both AST and their retailers seemed to lack definitive information about the Z4M kit they may (or may not) have had available for me. Perhaps things have changed but I haven't yet seen any new information provided in this thread.

I too learned that they use E36 dampers up front and E46 dampers out back; however, from my research (and common sense) you can't simply install an E36 damper on the front and an E46 damper on the rear and call it a day. This is why I reached out to their team in the first place as I wanted to know what valving changes were done and if travel on the dampers were shortened which, I've been told, is necessary to avoid clunking and rattling.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get information that satisfied me enough to install it in my car. Given how frequently I find myself on the track, I wasn't willing to be the test and tune car for them to hash things out on.

Maybe they found that guinea pig and have since made strides towards offering a Z4M-specific kit (that may, for example, reuse E36 and E46 shock bodies) but I think you need to confirm that. Just saying that the kit uses E36 and E46 dampers so it's good to go ain't going to cut it for anyone who cares about the setup of their car.

That said, having this kit available for a Z4M platform would be quite awesome. I've heard GREAT things about their products.

Harold is contacting AST about this.

[ANILE8]

Originally Posted by mpower03

http://www.ast-usa.com/index.php

You may have gone to they website that isn't for USA. They are based out of europe. They aren't a company that has a lot of money to spend on marketing gimmicks. They rely on proven products for there reputation, not a cool website or advertisement.

Today an informative and well scripted website is not a gimmick, it's a marketing necessity.

Also for their 5000 Series products they only have products listed for

•BMW 3 Series (E36, E46)

Some forum members who could be considering their products might be concerned about this.

[arggg45]

Originally Posted by ANILE8

Today an informative and well scripted website is not a gimmick, it's a marketing necessity.

Also for their 5000 Series products they only have products listed for

•BMW 3 Series (E36, E46)

Some forum members who could be considering their products might be concerned about this.

You may want to use Vorshlag's website as opposed to AST-USA's...IIRC, Vorshlag rebuilds/revalves/builds the vast majority of US market AST shocks. Terry and the group know what they're doing, and have a metric shit ton of experience with BMW's...anything and everything you want to know about AST and/or suspension engineering/setup they can either help you with or point you to someone who can...

www.vorshlag.com

In terms of people questioning whether or not AST is legit...they own Moton, and having owned shocks from both marques, compete with Moton quite well, and cost appreciably less.

[dubsesd]

Originally Posted by ANILE8

Hello mpower03 and others,

Can you help me to understand what are you trying to achieve with a different suspension system?

I have not found the stock suspension to need changing.

Please excuse my ignorance.

What made you buy your bbk? The stock brakes are aluminum hat csl brakes and are more than adequate.

Kind of a silly question.

[ajw45]

I went for the 550/650 f/r spring rates and they should be here Wednesday!!! I can't wait! Hopefully I can get them on the car not long after but it's cold here in Boston so track season is pretty much over but I'll definitely let you guys know my impressions.

FWIW, my last car had GC coilovers and they were okay, great compared to stock, better than my car with Bilsteins and Eibachs, but not extraordinary. Adjustments to the Konis didn't make a noticable change in ride, I was bottoming out on some turns on skinny street tires, and even blew a front shock within the first year which GC didn't warranty (they told me to call Koni).

For those questioning AST, well, on paper in this price range I think it's a bargain over the Koni/Bilstein based coilover packages. The ASTs will probably require rebuilding more often than the Koni's and Bilsteins too so that's also something to keep in mind.

[mpower03]

Harold was in contact and found out about the suspension
"I was told today the the front is an E36, but it has a short body for the extra compression travel on a lowered car. The rear is not an E46, but rather an E30."

Harold

Harold also said that they must be used with camber plates.
What will be included will be Vorshlag camber plates, for an additional 439

[ajw45]

The AST 4100s are in! I bought my package from Vorshlag so it came complete with their camber plates, 550/650 lbs/in springs, and their spherical rsms. Everything went in without a hitch and the shop aligned the car but only lowered the car 10-20mm since one of their scales was busted and cross weighting wasn't feasible. More camber, less toe, full soft, and no change to the rake of the car.

The new set-up is excellent! It has only been two days and the limits are more than I can explore on the street so I'll have to wait until winter passes and track season comes back to New England. That said, this set-up is way more comfortable than the GC set-up on my old M5 set to full soft despite having higher spring rates. There's a lot more feel transmitted through the seat thanks to the stiffer everything but small irregularites in the road and tiny bumps are comfortable. Way less bouncy than stock and in transition the new suspension takes a set much faster, love the decrease in body roll. Though stiffer, there's a lot more grip to the rear over uneven surfaces and less of a tendancy to just skip across the asphalt that the stock suspension had. The front changes direction way better now, most likely due to the additional camber than anything else but it feels great all the same.

The downsides - while irregularites are pretty supple, even small pot holes are teeth rattling and I'm on stock 18s. I'm getting some rattles and squeaking from the rear suspension like something is loose which the shop attributes to the spherical rsms and I need to find a solution to being able to access the rear top adjusters without removing the whole trunk lining. Overrall, I'm very happy with the suspension and glad I went with this over GC, though I do have to dodge potholes and manhole covers a lot more aggressively.

Oh, stock car weighed 3224 with 1/2 tank of gas and RPI exhaust before one of the scales freaked out.

[mpower03]

so solution would be to get re rsm. Review seems great!

[tikamak]

The teeth rattling behavior is a show stopper for me, how can you say that it's a better ride than stock than you saypotholes are teeth rattling?

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by tikamak

The teeth rattling behavior is a show stopper for me, how can you say that it's a better ride than stock than you saypotholes are teeth rattling?

+1

kw clubsports have similar spring rates and ive never heard anyone describe them as Teeth rattling....

any pics of your setup OP??

[ajw45]

Maybe some context will help, I live in Boston and we have pretty much the worst roads anywhere in the US.... In fact, I've had two friends who have driven into potholes and not come out which required a call to the fire department to have the front wheels of their cars lifted out and I even blew out a front shock mount on my old e24. I've lived in LA, NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Maimi, London, and even small islands in the Caribbean and there is nothing quite like the roads here in crappy parts of New England
In that light, I have definitely see some scary potholes on a regular basis so it's all relative. A small pothole here is bigger than anything I've seen in the state of California.... Ever ... And the new suspenion does make those a much harsher experience than stock. Certainly stock is a more comfortable ride, I was just comparing this to my older GC suspension on my M5 which I thought was even harsher over the small irregularities and bumps in the road than the AST set up.... And equally scary over the big potholes....

[mpower03]

the teeth rattling behavior is what i believe to be the design of the rsm you purchased.

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by mpower03

the teeth rattling behavior is what i believe to be the design of the rsm you purchased.

Ah, good point, this is my first time with non-oem rear shock mounts. To be fair, Vorshlag did warn me these woud be another addition to the added NVH of the new set-up....

[kklin]

I am currently thinking about ASTs for my Z4 M Coupe for autocross and street and will probably decide December or January (I am still wheel hunting). $25 off of $2538 doesn't feel like much though. I don't know what the monetary cost is of shipping. Will let this thread know if I decide to go with this buy. Thanks for initiating.

[kcdedric]

What ever happened with this group buy? Not enough interest?

[kklin]

Originally Posted by kcdedric

What ever happened with this group buy? Not enough interest?

Don't know if they actually have inventory, but prices were cut $200 before the newer models arrive
http://www.vorshlag.com/product_info...roducts_id=230

BTW, I'm also Space Gray/Imola '08 M Coupe

[kklin]

Here's the AST 4150 announcement - http://www.vorshlag.com/forums/showt...6936#post56936

[seank]

I am sooo surprised that more people on this forum aren't into the AST. It is by far the best suspension for the money. Most desired for a track car.

[RobMCoupe]

I am checking price availability on 4150 with Swift spring 400/500. People seem to like this combination for street and track. I currently have TCK DA/SA 500/600. It performed well on track. On street, it is a bit stiff. The car lose traction going over bumps at high speed.

[kklin]

Originally Posted by RobMCoupe

I am checking price availability on 4150 with Swift spring 400/500. People seem to like this combination for street and track. I currently have TCK DA/SA 500/600. It performed well on track. On street, it is a bit stiff. The car lose traction going over bumps at high speed.

FWIW, I am on the paid list at Vorshlag for 4150s. Both Terry and Jason were very helpful. When I spoke with them last week, they were thinking they might get mine in late March.